Many people seem to believe Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people do not face discrimination. Yet, we have received many anecdotal and documented reports by LGBT patients who have experienced discrimination at medical facilities in Malaysia, from doctors who won’t touch them, to being openly shamed by doctors, to receiving hasty, inadequate diagnosis and treatment. Like anyone else, LGBT persons do not want to be discriminated against. Their experiences of discrimination have resulted in a lack of trust towards healthcare institutions. Many LGBT persons even fear that their private information could be used against them. This is why LGBT persons are less likely to seek help, tests, and treatments. They don’t always bother to visit their doctor’s office, or when they do, they find that they are unable to give an accurate and honest description of their health and history. LGBT people who are ill sometimes take longer to get treated, and in some cases, only when it is too late.

It isn’t that LGBT people are more prone to ill health. It is the prejudice and social stigma that are making them more vulnerable to poorer physical and mental health.

As it is, Malaysia’s overarching legal framework criminalises sexual practices, behaviour and identities of LGBT persons and increases their risks to persecution, arrest, detention, violence, and abuse. Just as these laws prevent LGBT people from seeking help and accessing justice, they also prevent LGBT people from seeking treatment and accessing healthcare. Furthermore, the laws and stigma are often used to justify prejudices towards LGBT persons, even in medical facilities.

Over the last year, we have seen Malaysian doctors make hateful and misguided public statements towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people. Case in point, in August 2018, a doctor made a controversial statement that sparked conversations regarding medical ethics of healthcare providers in treating LGBT patients.